In a League of His Own
by White-Tigers-of-Darkness
Summary: Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott dissapeared, replaced by the cold, evil Editor. Can a lone Time Lord known only as the Doctor save Scotty from his fate and return him to the Enterprise? Or will the Editor ruin everything.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, I got this idea when reading a prompt on the st_xi_kinks list. I know it is not quite what was asked for, since my mind took the prompt, ran away and refused to come back until I agreed to follow its way. So, sorry if I disappointed anyone, especially the original inventor of this idea (I just loved your prompt so much).

The original prompt: _Scotty discovers his mirror-self "The Editor" but then soon finds that it actually is his future. An accident is suppose to occur in the future turning him into this cold evil creature and he does everything he can to prevent it but unfortunately it's his fate. Years later the crew stumble upon Scotty as the Editor, luring and killing people. They then take him back to the ship unconscious and McCoy does everything he can to bring Scotty back. Love sparks between the two (I dunno. I think it would be cute in my opinion) and when all seems well for Scotty, he keeps having recurring dreams of the horrible creature he was until finally he develops and split personality and goes from affection with McCoy to down right cruel and abusive._

However, I have sort of changed it so it starts out with the Editor, who can't remember being Scotty, being saved by the Doctor, who figures out who he is. I have also brought forward the romance between McCoy and Scotty to give a reason for the incident which turns Scotty into the Editor. However, the rest o the prompt is the same (hopefully).

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these brilliant ideas. Not even the plot bunny. I just borrowed it for my own amusement.

Warnings: As the prompt suggested, this is Slash. More accurately, Scotty/McCoy. However, there will probably be some hints of Kirk/Spock too. Also, this is currently un-beta'd, so I apologise in advance for any errors.

__________

In a League of His Own

The Year 200,000

The Editor lay where he had fallen, the fresh burns on his body making it impossible to move from the soaked ground, as the temperature continued to rise, to vent the heat of thousands of people into the room.

'It doesn't matter now' he thought to himself. 'It's not as if Max needs the cool anymore'

Wincing slightly, the Editor glanced up to the ceiling, his unnatural blue eyes scanning the area once occupied by his master.

'The Jagrafess is gone now. All that the order of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe....'

Again, the Editor winced. He had never been good at getting the name right. He gritted his teeth and continued his thought.

'All that the Order had planned, all that it had strived for, all of it, gone.'

Slowly, trying to ignore the fresh waves of pain, the Editor turned his head. She lay, resting next to his injured body. Suki Macrae Cantrell. The spy. She was dead. And soon, he would be too. The Editor felt like laughing.

Directing his gaze back up to the ceiling, the Editor sighed. He didn't mind the dying. Not really. He just wished it wasn't so damned hot!

"You know lad, if you just rerouted the system to vent the air into space, instead of into here, you would make yourself a lot happier."

The Editor blinked, his blue eyes dazed for a moment at the voice, so very close but so far away, and only ever heard in the confinements of his own head. He had always believed in the concept of 'inner voices', the idea that another personality occupied a small part of his brain. He just wished his didn't have to be a mechanics loving Scotsman.

Sighing again, the Editor relaxed as his vision started to fade. His body felt like it was drifting out of his control. Without any signals from his brain, his hand slowly lifted from the floor, sliding into his pocket. Slowly, it withdrew, a small piece of folded paper clenched between the strong fingers.

The paper parted slightly as the mindless fingers pushed against it, before falling away. It was a photo, grey with water damage but still the seven occupants were visible. Resting on top of the photo was a small piece of silver, a badge shaped like an incomplete star, a small swirl cut into the metal.

The fingers reached for the badge, holding it safely in a fist.

The Editor lost consciousness.

----------

The Doctor didn't know why he had returned to floor 500. Rose had returned with Cathica to find that useless lump Adam. The Doctor had intended to follow her, maybe yelling at Adam for being a stupid ape in the process, but something had stopped him. A feeling.

Being telepathic was not something the Doctor generally thought about. Sure it was a great party trick but it tended to get old fast. However, one of the disadvantages of being telepathic was that he could feel emotions. And floor 500 was full of emotions.

No! The Doctor mentally corrected himself. Not emotions. One emotion. An overwhelming feeling of being trapped.

The Doctor felt cold. As a time traveller, he had always been free to go where he wanted. He could not imagine being held against his will, but someone, somewhere on this floor, was.

Stepping through the growing puddles of water, the Doctor ignored the heat pulsing against his leather jacket as his mind travelled, scanning the rooms. It was depressingly quiet, the Editors victims long since silenced. The Doctor continued his search, his eyes finally landing on a dark lump on the floor. Then, it dawned on him. The Editors victims may have been silenced but the Editor wasn't.

It took all of the Doctors self control not to turn away and leave the man to his fate. Despite his dislike for the man who had played god, the Doctor was curious. Why did the Editor feel so trapped?

Walking over to the figure, the Doctor regarded the man. Unnatural blond hair grew from a thin, sickly looking face, fresh burns contorting the features. Short, shallow breaths the only indication that the man was still alive.

Slowly, the Doctor knelt down to regard the strange being. He blinked, a flash of silver momentarily blinding him. Glancing towards the light, he noticed something clenched in the Editors fist. Reaching over, he gently pulled open the hand. Lying on the Editors palm was a small silver object. The Doctor picked it up, inspecting the object. His eyes widened in shock. Glancing down, he once again regarded the Editor before turning his attention back to the Star Fleet insignia.

"You're a long way from home" he muttered, more to the badge than anything else. He looked down at the Editor again. "How did you come by this?" he asked, almost under his breath.

As if trying to answer, the Editors hand twitched, sending small waves across the growing puddle surrounding the body. Something white moved in the water. The Doctor snatched at it, the sleeves of his leather jacket hitting the water as he scooped up the object.

It was a photo. Six men and one woman, all grinning up at the camera (Well, all except a dark hair man in blue, whose face was expressionless). All of the figures dressed in what the Doctor recognized as early Star Fleet uniform.

The Doctor flicked the photo over, scanning the back. Someone had written across it.

_Ensign Chekov's 18__th__ Birthday! _

_The senior crew of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701._

The Doctor turned back to stare at the photo, scanning the faces. Although he had never met them (It was on his to-do list), he knew about the Enterprise crew. The tall, blue eyed man in yellow had to be the infamous Captain James T Kirk. The expressionless man in blue beside him (Who, on closer inspection, had to be a Vulcan) was Commander Spock.

The Doctor frowned at the photo, naming the people and remembering their faces (It could always come in handy). Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, McCoy. Finally, he was staring at the last member of the group which, if his memory was correct, was Chief Engineer Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott. He glanced down at the Editor. Then he glanced back at the photo. Then, slowly, he lowered the photo to once again stare at the prone man before him.

Slowly, the Doctor smiled.

"Fantastic!"

----------

It was a nerve shattering process, trying to save the Editor. The first problem was the burns on his body, which were so bad that even small movements could cause lots of damage. The Doctor had tried to move him, but in the end, he had been forced to pull out his sonic screwdriver. Although it didn't have a function to heal injuries, it did have one which could speed up the rate of healing. The Doctor had run it over the Editor a few times before he was convinced that he could move the man without killing him.

The second problem was the TARDIS. Being a part of the Doctor, she was well aware of what this man had done, and she didn't want him on board.

Having summoned the TARDIS to floor 500 (and leaving a message on Roses phone so she would know where he was), the Doctor had been faced with a ship which refused to let him bring the Editor onboard. It had taken all of his negotiation skills, and finally, a promise to fuel up at the next rift he found, before his physic ship had allowed the man to be brought aboard.

The final obstacle was Rose. Although she had said nothing when the Doctor had confronted and finally dumped Adam, her disapproval had been clearly visible. However, as the Doctor had closed the door on Adam's face, her silence disappeared.

"What's he doing here Doctor?" she had asked accusingly, a glare directed at the Editors prone form. "Why are you helping him?"

The Doctor had sighed. He loved Rose, as much as it was possible for him to love a companion, and he could understand that she would feel upset by this turn of events. But to get her to understand his discovery would take time the Editor didn't have.

"Just trust me on this one Rose, he...." The Doctor trailed off, glancing at the injured man. "He's important." Was all he said.

Rose lent against the control panel as the Doctor searched through the TARDISs historical records, searching for the right date.

"So, what? He is important. Why?"

The Doctor glanced at her.

"He just is."

Typing in the correct date and location, the Doctor kick started the TARDIS, sending it into the time stream.

___________

Just quickly, I haven't watched the ninth Doctor series in AGES! Hence why my Doctor probably doesn't sound quite right. Anyway, the next chapter (or two) will be about the crew of the Enterprise and how Scotty came to be the Editor. (I do have some ideas how that happened, and why.)


	2. Chapter 2

Well, second chapter here. I hope you remembered the photo from Chekov's birthday, since Scotty's fall starts around that time.

Just as a warning to anyone who may be offended, this chapter has slash. It also has a little bit of swearing.

To FD_Rehd, who has been so supportive of my take on the original prompt, I am really glad you liked the story so far and I am really flattered by your offer and would love a drawing.

__________

The Year 2259.

Doctor 'Bones' McCoy observed the party celebrations and couldn't help but marvel at the persistence of a certain Scottish Mechanic. When Scotty had approached him for help organising a certain Russian geniuses 18th birthday, McCoy had been slightly doubtful of the whole affair. Ensign Chekov was a bright young man, but as Bone had continually pointed out, was way too young to be dealing with the sort of situations normally dealt with onboard the Enterprise.

However, like always, Bones comments were overlooked by just about everyone.

Well tonight, Bones had resolved not to be a 'grumpy bastard' as Kirk kept calling him, and enjoy himself for once. A process which was made possible through the large supplies of bootleg liquor Scotty had 'found'. And it was effective. McCoy had managed to be cheerful, even in the face of the old digital camera Uhura had pulled out. (She had promised to send everyone a copy of the pictures) After all, Scotty's special brand liquor could make anyone happy.

It was because of this that, little over three hours after the start of the party, Bones was having trouble standing. Glancing at the rest of the room, he was proud to see that he wasn't the only one. Commander Spock, who had staked a claim in the darkest corner to 'observe' the party, was now being used as a support for his intoxicated Captain, who it seemed, had lost all control of his legs and was hugging his Vulcan first officer. Lieutenant Sulu had fallen asleep some time ago, his head resting on the shoulder of an equally sleepy ensign Chekov. The birthday boy still wearing the stupid party hat Scotty had made and Kirk had insisted he wear. Uhura had disappeared an hour before, struggling as Nurse Chris Chapel had propelled her out the door. Finally, Bones glanced over at the mastermind of the party. Scotty was grinning drunkenly at the wall, his seat balancing dangerously on two legs.

Scotty. Bones winced slightly, the alcohol failing to stop the onslaught of thoughts. It had been two months into the Enterprises five year mission when Bones had realised he was in love with the insane Scotsman. That was followed by another month spent wondering if the Scot loved him back. The first quarter of a year had passed and McCoy, Chief Medical officer of the Enterprise had decided it was a lost cause. Although he was unable to rid himself of his feelings, he had managed to control them and not destroy the fast blooming friendship between them.

As the two oldest senior officers, Scotty and McCoy had often worked together to control their adventure seeking Captain and their seemingly unfeeling Commander. These incidents had often concluded with the two Star Fleet officers sharing a drink and bitching about their lives. Although McCoy had never told Scotty this, the drinking nights they shared had fast become both the highlight of his job and the bane of his existence. So many times, he had fought to stop himself leaning over and kissing his friend. Fought to maintain control.

McCoy felt his breath hitch as Scotty turned his head slightly to smile at him. Slowly, the drunk Scot rose to his feet and stumbled the short distance to lean against the wall next to McCoy.

"So, waddaya think Bones?" he asked, slurring his words together. "Isa GREAT party"

McCoy nodded and swallowed. Suddenly, he was worryingly sober. Scotty reached over and attempted to slap him on the back, missing his shoulder by a few inches. He pulled his hand back and stared at it. Then, he looked at Bones again.

"You're a good friend" his Scottish accent was becoming harder to understand. "We's good friends, yep?"

McCoy nodded again, hardly trusting himself to speak.

"Tats why i'm gonna kiss ya." Scotty finished, before grabbing McCoy and planting a wobbly kiss on his face.

McCoy was stunned. Scotty pulled back, grinning stupidly. Without thinking, McCoy reached forward, pulling on Scotty's uniform as he planted a kiss on the other mans lips. Without hesitation, Scotty returned the kiss, moaning as McCoy gained access to his mouth.

McCoy froze, suddenly realising what he was doing. Pulling away from the mechanic, he turned to stare around the room, praying that no one had seen their little performance. His eyes met the chocolate brown ones of the first officer. At some point, Kirk had slipped to the floor, asleep. Spock had bodily picked up the captain had turned to carry him to his quarters when he had noticed the chief medical officer and the mechanic. Not wishing to interrupt, he had stayed still until the performance was over, before nodding to McCoy. Then, he left the room.

McCoy's cheeks burned with embarrassment. He hadn't wanted anyone to find out about this, especially not the green blooded hob goblin. He cursed silently as Scotty came up behind him, wrapping his arms around the Doctor. McCoy gripped the arms and forcefully removed them.

"Bones" Scotty almost whined.

McCoy spun around, grabbing the drunks arm.

"This did not happen." He hissed.

Pushing Scotty away, McCoy turned on his heels and left the room, leaving several sleeping officers and a stunned mechanic behind.

__________

McCoy had been on the receiving end of many hangovers from hell. He was no stranger to the pounding headaches, the cotton wool mouths and the millions of other fairly accurate descriptions for the shit feelings which came with a night drinking. He was also familiar with the memory loss, the nagging feeling that he had done something unbelievably stupid the night before.

Sadly, this one issue was not a problem for those who consumed Scotty's home brand alcohol. The beverage, unlike many others, was special in that it left its victims with crystal clear memories of the previous night's events. It was something which Scotty had often laughed about, when watching his many drinking buddies toe around awkward situations.

There were many times when McCoy had wished for a better memory, while studying for his finals for example. But this was the first time he ever wished to forget. The memory of the kiss had been spinning around in his head from the moment he had woken up, already feeling like death, and had rapidly grown into vivid fantasies of the Scot. It had taken all his willpower not to simply curl back up on his bed and get lost in the dreams.

Stumbling into the Sick-bay, McCoy wasn't surprised to see it already occupied with party goers hoping to receive medical treatment. Normally, he didn't hand out pain killers to any hangover sufferers, his belief firmly that consequences should have actions, and anyone who drinks should be able to put up with the results, but since most of these sufferers appeared to be the bridge crew and his own head was killing him, Bones decided to be kind.

Working slowly along the lines of groaning, irritated crew members, he finally came to his last patient. The captain. Kirk was lying on one of the beds, one hand over his eyes, the other wrapped around his stomach. Slowly, McCoy approached him, a hypo-spray full of painkillers at the ready. Lowering his hands, Kirk gave the approaching hypo a panicky look and tried to wriggle backwards. Then, he dropped like a stone, the headache returning with a vengeance.

"God, Bones. I feel like shit!" Kirk whined.

McCoy ignored him, jamming the hypo into his neck. Kirk let out a small yelp of surprise. Almost on cue, the door to the sick-bay opened. McCoy didn't even have to look around to know who it was, the expression of horror clear on Kirks face as Spock made his way towards them.

"Captain" the Vulcan said in a calm, clear voice. "I trust you are ready to resume your duties?"

McCoy glanced over at Kirk, who was staring at the floor. Then he glanced at Spock, whose attention was also drawn elsewhere. A stray thought entered his mind.

'I wonder what is going on here.'

He pushed the thought away as Kirk finally slid off the bed, attempting to avoid Spocks offer of assistance. McCoy watched the two leave in silence before turning back to the suddenly empty sick-bay.

'Damn! There goes all hope of keeping my mind occupied.' He thought.

Little did he know, things were about to get worse. Almost like magic, the door slid open once again. Almost hesitantly, the Scottish mechanic stepped into the room.

"Hey Bones." Scotty called, unable to hide the worry in his voice. "Could I have a few words with you?"

McCoy picked up the hypo he had so recently turned on Kirk. Carefully, he began flushing out the spare painkiller, cleaning the hypo for its next use.

"I'm a little busy." He lied, not looking at Scotty.

Almost as if he could see the lie, Scotty took a step towards the Doctor.

"Listen Lad, about last night..."

McCoy swung around, brandishing the hypo like a weapon.

"Nothing happened." He snapped. "Nothing happened and that is final. There is nothing between us."

McCoy spun around again, his attention apparently back on the hypo, but his ears straining to hear Scotty's reply. But when it came, it was like a punch in the gut.

"Of course" The mechanic sighed sadly. "There is nothing. It's always nothing."

McCoy didn't look around at the other man left the room. Then, he placed the hypo on the bench, his heart finally breaking.

__________

Wow. I have never really written angst before. And I don't really write slash much so I hope I did alright. I especially hope I got the characters right (It is so hard to write in Scottish) I have seen the film several times but not much of the Original Series, so the characters may be a little off.

Anyway, more to come soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay, I'm back. And I come with another chapter. This should give you a little hint of whats to come for poor Scotty.

FD_Rehd, If you are still serious about your offer, I would love for someone to draw some fan art about my story (I have written so many stories but no one has ever done me a picture) It doesn't even have to be about this story. I have a few to choose from. Go nuts.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

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It had been a tense few weeks, Kirk mused, leaning back in his chair. Ever since Chekov's birthday party in fact. He glanced over at his first officer. Spock was sitting at the science desk, scanning the alien planet. Kirk smiled. His little 'discretion' as Spock had called it, had been forgiven but not forgotten, and looking back, Kirk didn't want to forget. It had been too much fun at the time, and now, considering what it had led to, well worth the pain and embarrassment.

But then there was the other problem. For some reason, and Kirk had no idea what it was, his chief engineer and his chief medical officer were no longer on speaking terms. It had been subtle at first, McCoy and Scotty, although not outright avoiding each other, had simply drifted apart, not appearing in the same room except during seniors meetings. But then, one morning it had become more noticeable. Scotty had been called up to fix Sulu's control panel when McCoy had walked onto the bridge, ready for his daily 'yell at Kirk' session. Both had gone silent, Scotty cutting himself off in mid-rant about transporter theories with Chekov. Suddenly, the engineers had dropped his tools, stood up and, muttering something about a forgotten scanner, fled the bridge.

Kirk had watched in surprise as Bones, suddenly jumpy, declared that he had work to do before also leaving.

Although Kirk had enough common sense not to question his crew's actions in public, he had asked Spock later if he knew what was going on. Spock had scanned his captains face before replying, in an expressionless voice that the two officers seemed to be involved in 'friendship issues' before suggesting that Kirk not get involved. Reluctantly, Kirk had agreed and dropped the issue. After all, he had more important things to think off.

One of the Enterprises shuttles had crashed on the nearest planet while taking atmospheric readings. Although the crew, which consisted of almost all of Spocks junior science officers had reported no injuries, Kirk still wanted to know why the shuttle had gone down. He had sent a quick message to both Scotty and McCoy, requesting any available junior staff for an away mission. Then, with Spock and Chekov in tow, Kirk made his way down to the transporter pad. As he entered, he sent a warm smile to Nurse Chapel, who was waiting silently on the pad. However, he didn't expect to see Scotty also waiting on the pad, tool case at his feet.

"You coming for the ride Mr Scott?" he asked, trying to hide his confusion as behind him, Chekov took charge of the controls.

"Aye Captain." Scotty had replied his normal grin a little strained.

Shrugging, Kirk followed Spock onto the platform before pulling out his communicator.

"Sulu" he called. "Mr Scott is on the away team. That means that you have the Comm."

Closing the device, he turned to Chekov.

"When you are ready, Mr Chekov"

Kirk didn't even hear the Ensigns reply as the de-materialisation sequence began.

__________

Chekov must have been practicing with the transporter, Kirk concluded as the away team re-materialised little more than a few feet from the disabled shuttle craft, in the middle of a small clearing. The shuttle gleamed silver in the light and to Kirks eyes, didn't appear to be damaged at all. Feeling a little worried, he turned to Spock.

"Any signal from the crew?" he asked.

"Affirmative" Spock had replied, holding up his scanner. "The crew appear to have made camp one kilometre north of our current position."

Kirk rubbed his hands together.

"Right. Spock, you and Chapel head to the camp and make sure there are no injuries. Then contact the Enterprise and get Chekov to beam everyone up. Scotty, you and I are going to find out why the shuttle crashed."

Spock nodded at his captain before signalling to Cthe young nurse to follow him into the bush. Kirk turned towards Scotty, who was already making his way inside the shuttle. Following behind, Kirk watched as Scotty sat down in the pilot's seat and began fiddling with the control panel. After a few moments, lights began to flash.

"So, found anything?" Kirk asked, leaning against the bulk head as the mechanic continued his work.

"Nay Captain" Scotty replied, not looking at Kirk.

Slipping from the seat, Scotty climbed under the panel. Kirk listened for a moment before walking over and sitting in one of the passengers chairs.

"So, why are you giving Bones the cold shoulder all of a sudden?" he asked.

Something metallic hit the floor. From under the control panel, Scotty swore.

"Mr Scott?" Kirk asked.

He watched as the clearly angry engineer rose from the floor.

"With all due respect, Captain, I don't think that is any of your bloody business."

Kirk held his hands out in the universal signal of surrender. After a few moments, Scotty sighed and crawled back under the panel. Kirk lent back against his chair and waited. After about ten minutes, Scotty once again emerged.

"Damned if I can tell what's going on captain." He said. "The lass seems to be in working order."

Slowly, Kirk rose to his feet.

"Well something made this shuttle crash. And I wanna know what."

"Yes Captain." Was all Scotty said before falling silent again. Slowly, he turned to another panel and began fiddling with it.

Kirk cursed. Sometimes he really hated being captain. He turned back to Scotty, ready to apologise, although he was unsure why, when his communicator went off. Pulling the small device from his belt, he flicked it open.

"Kirk here" he said.

"Captain, we have found the missing crew and can report no injuries. However, there have been some discoveries which are....unusual." Spock said. "Your presence is requested."

Kirk sighed.

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Kirk out!" He cut off the transmission before turning to Scotty. "Can you hold down the fort while I'm gone?"

Scotty nodded.

"Aye Captain." He said.

Kirk smiled at the Scot before turning and leaving the shuttle.

__________

Scotty waited until his captain disappeared into the bush before he sighed, dropping into the pilot seat again. It was no good pretending anymore. He had hoped that this thing with Bones would blow over, but if Kirk was noticing things, then maybe it is time to quit.

Dropping his tools on the floor, Scotty reached into his back pocket. Uhura's attempts at photography had been promptly handed around to the senior crew and Scotty had to admit, the lass had a talent with the camera.

The photo showed seven smiling faces, the senior crew surrounding the young Mr Chekov, a timing device capturing the exact moment. On the back of the photo, Uhura had written the event as a reminder.

Sighing once again, Scotty slipped the photo back into his pocket and turned to stare out the view screen. He jumped. Just beyond the reinforced glass of the screen, a figure stood. It was a thin, sickly looking figure, short blond hair and electric blue eyes on a drawn, pale face. The figure looked at Scotty, before walking across the screen, disappearing as it moved around the shuttle.

Scotty jumped to his feet, pulling out the shuttles emergency phaser. In the distance, he could hear footsteps. Slowly, he walked down the ramp of the open shuttle.

The figure was standing a little way off, watching him intently. It was dressed in black, and appeared to be female. Raising the phaser slightly, Scotty stepped off the shuttles ramp. The woman blinked but didn't move.

"Are you alright lass?" Scotty called.

The woman raised her hand. Scotty gripped the phaser as the woman's index finger extended, pointing. Scotty blinked. She wasn't pointing at him, but rather next to him. Scotty turned around, his stomach turning. Something rushed towards his head. Scotty hit the ground, unconscious.

__________

Well, another chapter done. Hopefully I can finish the next chapter quickly and won't have to keep anyone in suspence for too long.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, after a long wait, I am back in the game. Somehow, this story has become a stress relief in the last few days. Probably because I just spent the last few weeks trying to write my Uni essays and now I am stuck in Exam mode. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to write a bit more now.

This is the last chapter of what I have personally called 'Project Explain how Scotty became the Editor'. Therefore, the next chapter will bring the Doctor back. Also, I feel I should mention that this chapter is violent.

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Twigs and leaves were instantly crushed under his boots as Kirk ran through the bush, his sense of dread growing with every passing second. He didn't like this planet at all. Bursting through the scrubs, he skidded, only just avoiding crashing into his First Officer. Spock was kneeling at the edge of a clearing which, until recently, was their missing crew's camp. Kirk slowed and turned, managing not to fall over. Then he lent down, trying to catch his breath. After a few seconds, he found his voice.

"Ok, I'm here. What did you find?"

Spock raised a single eyebrow at his captain's behaviour before pocketing his scanner. Standing up, Spock turned to Kirk.

"If you would follow me captain." He said.

Kirk nodded as the Vulcan walked around a large tree at the edge of the clearing. Following his First Officer, he found Spock standing next to what looked like a large shrub. In silence, he watched as Spock pushed aside some of the green foliage. A flash of metal shone out from under the leaves. Kirk took a step closer as Spock continued to pull the living plant away, revealing a large metal dome.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

Spock gave a small, almost shrug.

"It is unlike anything I have ever seen before Captain. According to my scans, the outside is some sort of metal of which I am not familiar. However, the inside appears to be organic."

Kirk glanced over at Spock.

"Organic? Are you saying there is something inside that thing?"

Again, another almost shrug. Kirk sighed and pulled out his communicator.

"Scotty, get up here. I've got something here for you to look at." Kirk paused for a few moments. Then he glanced down at his communicator.

"Mr Scott. Are you there?"

Kirk glanced over at Spock. Then he turned back to his communicator.

"Mr Sulu, can you get a trace on Mr Scott?" he asked.

"No Captain" came Sulu's reply from the Enterprise.

Kirk didn't even wait for Spock to follow him. Instead he ran back to the clearing before heading south, back to the shuttle, Spock right behind him.

After a few minutes of silent running, the two Starfleet officers arrived back at the shuttle.

"Mr Scott!" Kirk yelled, running up the ramp and almost tripping over the discarded tools. "Mr Scott, answer me!"

"Captain" Spock called from outside the shuttle.

Kirk made is way out of the shuttle as Spock pulled something out of the undergrowth. It was an emergency phaser. Kirk took the phaser from his first officer. Spock was staring at the ground. Then, the Vulcan pointed at something. Kirk blinked, finally noticing the small patch of dark, damp ground. Blood.

Grabbing his communicator out of his pocket, Kirk activated it, sending an emergency signal to the Enterprise.

"Bones! Get a team down here now. Scotty's missing and probably injured."

Kirk pocketed his communicator, worried for his friend.

----------

On board the Enterprise, McCoy listened to the message, his insides freezing.

----------

Waking up was an unpleasant experience for Scotty. The back of his head ached, a deep, consistent throb of pain which seemed to double in strength every time he blinked in the dim light. Scotty groaned, his body complaining as he moved slightly on the cold floor.

From somewhere near his head, something moved. The soft sounds of an engine met his ears. Normally, this was a comforting sound to Scotty. Often, back on Delta Vega, he had fallen asleep with that sound ringing in his ears. But this time, it was different. Scotty didn't know if it was due to the return of his recent memories or if it was the fact that the sound was of a higher pitch than normal, but something made him sit up suddenly, ignoring the flash of pain. Slowly, he scanned his surroundings. He was in a small room. The walls were lined with copper and some other metal he wasn't familiar with. The sound was right behind him now. Turning around slowly, his eyes fell on a large metal dome. The dome moved slowly towards him, a large eye like light on its top moved, as if scanning him.

Scotty climbed to his feet, stopping only when the 'thing' moved, the eye stalk moving up and down, following his movements.

"Halt!"

It was the gritty pitch of the words which made him freeze, moments before his brain registered that the thing had spoken.

Footsteps echoed in the room behind him.

"My Masters, he is perfect! My brother will be pleased."

Scotty jumped at the voice, swinging around to see the young woman from the shuttle step out of the shadows. She was smiling at him. A small, innocent smile which was made all the more frightening by the pair of electric blue eyes scanning him. Breaking away from the almost hypnotic stare, Scotty jumped to his feet, the metal dome retreating hurriedly.

"Alright, that's enough! Just what the bloody hell is going on here?" he yelled.

The young woman raised her hand in a warning, her gaze fixed on the dome. The air tingled for a few seconds, making Scotty.

Then slowly, the woman lowered her hand.

Scotty blinked.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The woman smiled again, the action causing the skin on her cheeks to stretch, leaving her looking almost inhuman.

"My name is un-pronounceable in your language. You may call me the Controller." She said.

From the shadows, a young man emerged. He was tall, pale with the same electric blue eyes and from what Scotty could tell very, very sick. Every movement seemed a huge effort for the young man as he slowly made his way over to the woman. She gestured to him.

"And this is my brother. You may call him the Editor"

Scotty watched in horror as the young man's legs gave way, sending him to the ground. The woman reached over and knelt by him, placing a hand on his chest.

"It is ok brother. It is time. A new, strong body has been found for you."

She looked up at Scotty.

"I hope you like him"

The man glanced up at Scotty and violently shuddered. Then, he lowered his head. The pale skin on his neck stretched. Underneath the flesh, a dark shadow moved.

Scotty watched, still frozen in horror as the woman pulled out a small device. She pointed it at the shadow. Scotty couldn't stop himself gagging at the smell of burning flesh as the laser cut through the layers of skin on the man's neck. Then, the laser disappeared on the woman's person. Reaching her brothers neck, the woman forced her fingers into the wound, causing a strangled whimper from the man. Pinching her finders the woman drew something small and black and alive from the wound. It was almost crab like, except for a long tail like spine on its lower back with moved violently as it fought against the woman's hold. The man dropped to the ground, sobbing. With a look of love, the woman placed the crab thing in her palm, stroking it gently as the young man gasped and tried to move.

The dome rolled slowly towards the man, appearing almost menacing in the dim light. The young man scurried backwards as the thing moved, a look of fear on his face. Then, he turned slowly, tears sliding down his pale cheek.

"Help me. Please." He whispered.

The dome lowered a metal cylinder at the man. Scotty closed his eyes, suddenly dreading the future. He reached for his badge, a motion which had always comforted him, reminding him of his duty to his ship and his friends. Because of this, he did not see the flash of light from the cylinder. However, nothing could block out the scream. Scotty gripped his badge tighter, feeling it pull away from the material of his shirt.

Slowly, Scotty opened his eyes. The young man was staring at him, his face frozen at the moment of his death. Horrified, Scotty took a step backwards, almost falling into another metal dome which had entered the room unnoticed. Catching himself, Scotty attempted to side step the thing. However, the sounds of his struggle were loud and clear. The woman's head turned. Slowly, she took a step towards him. Scotty attempted to take another step backwards, hitting the dome. The woman was getting closer. Irrationally, Scotty pushed back against the dome, trying to move it. Instead, the dome moved forward, almost like it was pushing him to meet the advancing danger.

Within seconds, the woman was on him, pushing her body against his to hold him still. Her filled hand coming down to rest on his shoulder. Scotty wriggled, trying to shake the hand off. Using her free hand, the woman grabbed his hands in a painful grip, forcing him to stay still. Scotty shuddered in fear as the crab thing climbed off her palm and onto his shirt. As soon as the creature was clear, the woman's free hand was wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Scotty gasped, trying to fight as the thing crawled to the back of his neck.

A shape pain forced a cry of surprise from Scotty as the creature cut into his flesh. Slowly, agonisingly, the creature pushed against the wound, digging through the muscle. Scotty bucked wildly, trying to get free, to get the creature off him, to do something. His pinned hand curled around his broken badge as the lack of oxygen stole his strength. And then, the pain stopped. The creature was inside him. Scotty faded into the blackness of his mind as the Editor took control.

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Ok. Just as a reminder, the Controller was that woman who was controlling the games on Satellite 5 during the Bad Wolf episodes. I always thought she had to be related to the Editor since they were both doing the same job (Keep the people ignorant) and even looked similar. And of course the Domes are Daleks. However, the crab alien is my own idea. (I haven't even thought up a name for them yet. Anyone have any ideas?) They will be explained in later chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, new chapter. I know, in the last one I promised a bit more of the Doctor, but this sort of got away from me. However, I did manage to squeeze a little about him in the end with the TARDIS crew. Anyway, this chapter basically covers Scotty's absence from the Enterprise and how it affects certain people.

Warning: This chapter is very much Kirk/Spock (Gotta love that original pairing.)

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Almost exactly 10 minutes after Montgomery Scott's disappearance was reported to the Enterprise, Dr 'Bones' McCoy arrived on the planet's surface to meet his Captain and Commander, his only thought on the safe return of his missing friend.

Almost two hours after Scotty's disappearance, McCoy was dragged back to the ship, soaking wet from a sudden cyclonic rain. He fought all the way.

Seven hours after Scotty's disappearance and McCoy was heading back to the surface, after frightening Ensign Chekov half to death with his angry shouts. As he left the Bridge, the young Russian found the Doctors words spinning around in his head.

"People do not just disappear"

Twelve hours after Scotty's vanishing act and Kirk called off the search for the night, concluding that everyone would work better after a few hours sleep. McCoy sat in the Sickbay all night and waited for the search to begin again.

Twenty four hours after the incident. The Shuttle had been brought aboard for further analysis. Most of the search party had been called away, leaving only McCoy and Spock on the planet's surface. Spock kept quiet through the whole ordeal, his Vulcan face impressively still, but his human eyes holding showing a deep sympathy for Dr McCoy.

Forty Eight hours after the disappearance, Star Fleet sent a message to the Enterprise, questioning why the ship was so behind in its mission. Kirk hung up on them.

Seventy two hours and Kirk ordered McCoy back to the ship. After a huge argument, McCoy conceded and returned to the Sick Bay. The senior crew were silent as Kirk added the three fateful words to Scotty's record. MIA. Missing in Action. The Enterprise left the planets orbit soon after.

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It was two whole months (And two new Chief Engineers, neither of which got on with Scotty's former assistent Keenser) after the disappearance of Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, before Spock finally broke his silence. McCoy had withdrawn from the general population of the ship, leaving most of the senior staff mystified and Kirk doing more and more reckless things, just to get a rise from the Doctor. It was the seventh time Spock had been forced to escort his captain from the sick bay to his quarters, after another botched mission left him in need of his Commanders aid. Jim had been ranting for a solid five minutes about the Doctor's current behaviour, and it was staring to get on Spock's well repressed nerves.

"I mean, what is his problem?" Jim was saying as the two waited for the turbo lift to arrive. He was still nursing the new cast on his broken arm but was, to Spock's critical gaze, not mentally affected by the strong pain killers Nurse Chapel had pumped into his system (McCoy hadn't even bothered to supervise Jim's treatment, deciding instead to hold up in his office and work).

"He is just so...Cold! What happened to the Bones who use to yell all the time? I liked him."

The turbo lift arrived, the smooth metal doors opening to allow the two officers entrance. Stepping inside, Spock found his personal space invaded by his Captain. It was something which happened with worrying regularity to Spock and he had learnt not to comment on it after the first time. Instead, he decided to attempt to halt Jim's verbal aggression.

"I do not understand Jim. Are you implying that you wish for Dr McCoy to yell at you for your recklessness?"

It was Spock's emotionless answer that caused Kirk to pause in mid-rant.

"No, I just..." he shook his head, trying to decide how to verbally express his thought. Finally, he decided to start from the beginning.

"Bones has been acting differently for a while now, and I just can't think why."

The Turbo Lift arrived at the correct floor. Carefully, so as not to touch Kirks injured arm, Spock slid around his captain and into the corridor. Sighing, Jim followed him, the two continuing their journey to the captain's quarters.

"Jim, how long ago did you begin to notice Dr McCoy's behaviour?" he asked.

Kirk was silent for a few moments before answering.

"About two months, I suppose." He said.

The two arrived at Kirks quarters, Jim moving past Spock to open the door.

"Do you remember what happened two months ago?" Spock asked.

Jim growled.

"Unlike you, I don't make a habit of timing every single incident."

Spock repressed his sigh as Jim entered the room.

"Jim, exactly two months ago was the recorded disappearance of Chief Engineer Scot."

Jim blinked as he sat down on the edge of his bed, gesturing for Spock to join him.

"Spock, are you suggesting that there is a connection between Scotty's disappearance and Bones behaviour?" he asked as Spock sat down next to him.

Spock didn't reply, letting his silence answer his question.

Jim let out a small huff of irritation, before he relaxed, allowing his body to lean against Spock strong shoulder.

"If Bones was depressed about Scotty, he would have told me by now." Jim said. Even to his own ears, that comment sounded weak. Kirk had known McCoy for years and was probably one of the few people who could vouch for McCoy's repressive nature.

There were a few minutes of silence as Kirk mentally replayed the conversation. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Spock.

"Hang on Spock. What sort of 'connection' are you implying?" he asked.

To anyone who didn't know Spock, the Vulcan features didn't appear to change. However, in the past half a year, James Kirk had learnt how to read his Second. Spock was fighting not to look embarrassed.

"Spock!" Jim said in a warning tone. "What is going on?"

"I believe Captain" Spock said in a deadpan voice. "That it is none of my business to inform you of another person's activities. I do not wish to participate in the act of 'Gossip'"

Kirk couldn't help but remember Scotty's reaction to McCoy's sudden appearance on the bridge that fateful day two months ago. Hell, he had even tried to talk to Scotty about it. Suddenly, it all started to make sense. Carefully, Jim tried to hide his surprise from his Vulcan companion.

"Hang on! Are you suggesting that Scotty and Bones were together?"

Spock's eyes flashed dark, a warning. Jim knew he was treading on dangerous ground but he needed to know that his theory was correct, for the wellbeing of his crew.

"Spock! I order you to tell me what was going on between them."

Spock glared at Jim but his shoulders slumped, defeated. He could never disobey an order from his captain.

"I witnessed a certain action between the two during the celebration of Ensign Chekov's birth, which led me to hypothesise that they may be involved. Dr McCoy later reaction to Mr Scot's sudden disappearance has supported my theory."

Kirk thought back to Chekov's party. He hadn't noticed anything between Bones and Scotty during those celebrations. However, he hadn't really been paying attention to the rest of his crew, too busy drinking himself into a stupor and trying to decide how to trap Spock in the turbo lift without getting his head smashed in.

But, if Spock was correct, the strange feelings between Scotty and Bones had started shortly after.

Jim blinked. Suddenly it all made sense. Bones was grieving for Scotty.

Sighing, Jim lent back against Spock's shoulder, smirking slightly was Spock was forced to wrap his arm around Jim's torso to support him.

"I had better talk to Bones tomorrow." He said his voice slightly muffled against Spock's shirt.

He felt, rather than saw the hybrid Vulcan stiffen underneath him. Giggling slightly, Kirk glanced up at his companion.

"Don't worry. If he asks, I didn't hear anything from you."

Spock opened his mouth, ready to reply, but Jim didn't want to hear it. Lifting his head once again, he managed to trap Spock's mouth against his own, silencing him.

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0800 hours. Jim blinked against the unnatural light, the buzzing by his head growing louder. Reaching blindly, he made grabbing motions at his bedside table. A hand grabbed his own, stopping him just centimetres from hitting the hard wood of the table. The communicator was placed him his hand. Jim sent a sleepy smile to his saviour as Spock release his arm and walked back over to his seat at the desk, picking up a data pad as he went. If Jim didn't know better (But he did), he would have guessed that Spock had spent the night in that chair. His clothes and hair were as well kept as ever, his posture relaxed. The communicator buzzed again. Flicking it open, Jim fought back his yawn.

"Kirk here." He muttered.

"Keptain" Chekov gasped excitedly at the other end of the line, making Jim groan at the kids excitement. "Ze computer is reporting an anomaly in ze cargo bay."

Jim slowly sat up, wincing slightly as his injured arm took his weight.

"What do you mean an anomaly?" he asked.

"Vell" Chekov replied. "Approximately 10 minutes ago, ze computer reported a surge in power coming from zat area. A security team vas sent vhich reported the appearance of a strange blue box."

Jim blinked again, wondering if he had heard the ensign correctly. From the desk, Spock glanced at him, equally curious.

"A blue box?" Jim asked.

"Da" Chekov replied.

Jim sighed.

"Commander Spock and I will arrive there shortly. Kirk out."

Jim turned off the communicator, cutting off Chekov's reply. As he watched, Spock placed the data pad on the desk and rose from his seat. Reaching down, he picked a pile of material off the floor and passed it to Jim. Jim accepted the material, straightening it out to reveal his gold shirt. Now he faced his next challenge. Getting it on with a broken arm.

Ten hectic minutes later, Jim left his room, Spock falling in step behind him as they made their way down to the cargo bay.

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On the TARDIS, the Doctor watched the view screen with great amusement as the mysterious arrival of his ship sent several Starfleet officers into panic. Beside him, Rose huffed in irritation. She had been walking over to the door, ready to explore the new surroundings, when then Doctor had pulled her back, telling her to wait. She hadn't noticed the powerful fire arms which the Starfleet officers were carrying, but the Doctor had.

Twenty minutes went by, in which Rose stomped around the control room while the Doctor checked his 'guest'. The Editor's vital signs were slowing at a worrying rate. Glancing once again at the view screen, the Doctor attempted to analyse his options. Starfleet's finest had assembled a circle around the TARDIS and a brave young man in red was slowly approaching with a scanner. Going out there now, could save the Editor, but it could also be dangerous, if the humans outside panicked. The Doctor slowly rose to his feet. He needed to risk it. However, as he passed the control panel, he noticed a change outside. The group had retreated from the TARDIS doors, all of them glancing at two new arrivals, one dressed in blue and the other in gold. The Doctor grinned.

Increasing his step, the Doctor reached the doors and pulled them open, stepping for the first time, onto the USS Enterprise.

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Well, the next chapter should be up soon (hopefully).

One thing before I go. I was really worried when writing Chekov and Spock. (Neither of them had much in the way of dialogue in the last few chapters). I think I finally got them in character but I apologise in advance if I screwed up anywhere.


	6. Chapter 6

So, I am finally back. I just want to apologise for the time it took in bringing this chapter to you all. I have been trying to juggle two stories at once (and since both of them are crossovers, that's technically four fandom's that are keeping me busy)

Plus, I really didn't know how I was going to do this chapter, with the Doctor meeting Kirk. It took watching the whole 9th Doctor series before I was willing to risk it and attempt the Doctors voice, and even then, I don't thing I got it right. Oh well.

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Despite having only woken up ten minutes before, James Kirk was a ball of energy as he entered the cargo bay, his blue eyes sweeping across the room to regard the situation.

A large majority of the security crew were set up n a basic defence pattern around a large blue box. The box, to Kirks untrained eyes was over two metres in height and maybe a metre and a half in width with the words 'police box' painted on the top in big, easy to read letters.

Without thinking, Kirk took a hurried step towards the box, only stopping when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt. Glancing back, he shot Spock a questioning gaze as the Vulcan released his grip, Spocks return glance enough to steady the impulsive young captain.

Stepping back, Jim grinned as he watched Spock step past him to talk with the head of security. His grin widening as he spotted a certain member of the security staff.

A few quick steps sideways were all it took for Jim to stand next to the young officer he had dubbed 'Cupcake' many years before. Glancing at the other officers face, Jim was pleased to see the other man refuse to look at him. Quickly, he opened his mouth, ready to try and engage the man in a conversation.

A gentle clicking sound was heard from the box as the door swung open and a dark, lanky man stepped out.

What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. The security officers stepped back, raising their phasers to point at the man. Someone, and Kirk was never sure who but later suspected it was Cupcake, grabbed the young captain and pulled him backwards, behind the line of defence.

Jim glanced around the circle, noticing that the only person not to retreat was Spock. The Vulcan was now the nearest to the intruder, who was glancing around the cargo bay, pointedly ignoring the phasers. All of a sudden, the man's gaze fell on Jims second in command.

A grin appeared on the slightly large facial features as the man took a sudden step towards Spock, only stopping as the security chief stepped forward to stand next to the commander. The man slowly raised his hands in surrender.

Jim took this as his cue. Ducking out from behind Cupcake, Kirk walked towards the man, gaining the intruders attention as the grin disappeared.

"I am Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise." He said.

"Yep. Knew that." The intruder cut Jim off mid sentence.

Jim tried not to frown as the man's impressive blue eyes suddenly turned to study him.

"Well, if you knew that then you must be aware you are an intruder aboard my ship." Jim shot back.

The man seemed to relax again, grin returning to his face.

"You are a lot younger than I expected. I mean how old are you now? Twenty five? Twenty six? Not nearly old enough to have achieved everything you are going to achieve."

Jim finally managed his frown. The other man was talking about him like he knew his future. Warning bells went off in the privacy of Jim's head. The only other person who could predict the future was Spocks older counterpart. And even then, the ambassador had warned that the future had changed for them all. Jim glanced once again at the man.

"Who are you?" he asked finally.

The man, if it were at all possible, grinned even harder.

"I am the Doctor." He said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jim shook his head.

"Doctor.... what?" he asked.

The man shrugged, the grin finally leaving his face.

"Just the Doctor." Was the mans answer.

Jim shook his head again in confusion before deciding to move on.

"What are you doing on my ship?" he asked.

The man reached into his battered leather coat and pulled out a piece of paper. He held it out in front of him gesturing for Jim to take it, the grin gone suddenly, replaced by a serious look.

"I believe this is something you lost."

After sharing a quick glance with Spock, Jim took a step towards the Doctor and took the paper from him. It was surprisingly heavy. Opening the paper, Jim watched as a small piece of silver fell onto his palm.

It was a Fleet Badge, the small swirl cut in the metal identifying it as Mechanical/Technical. Jim couldn't help but glance down at his own badge, the star pattern clearly showing his command status. Slowly, he shook his head and made to hand the badge back to the Doctor.

"Sorry, but this isn't mine." He said.

The Doctor glanced back at the blue box, looking slightly worried, before turning back to Kirk. With a small nod, he gestured towards the paper still in Jim's hand. Jim glanced at it before unfolding it. Then, he stared. Despite the water damage, Jim had no trouble recognising the photo. After all, Uhura had made sure all the senior officers had received a copy of her photos.

Once more, Kirk started to wonder just who this Doctor was, and if he was, like the ambassador, from their future.

"How did you get this?" he finally asked.

The Doctor's blue eyes seemed to drill into his.

"You are currently missing a member of your crew, one Montgomery Scott. Correct?"

Jim slowly nodded, speechless. The Doctor turned and without a word, stepped back into the blue box. Jim glanced at Spock, glad to see a slight look of confusion from his first officer, mirroring his own.

Breaking the glance between them, Spock turned to the security chief and borrowed his phaser, before turning and striding towards the open door of the box. Jim turned and signalled for the security team to back off, before turning and following his friend into the box.

It was only his quick reactions which prevented him from crashing into Spock. The half Vulcan was standing on a walkway, glancing around him with a surprisingly recognisable look of surprise. Jim followed his gaze and immediately realised his mistake as his legs gave way at the impossibility of the ship which existed inside the small room.

"Yeah, it gets you like that." A voice said from somewhere in the ship.

Jim finally managed to pull his gaze from the incredible ship to glance at the voice.

A curvy blond woman was standing to the side of the walkway, studying the two star fleet officers with her big brown eyes. Jim hurriedly pulled himself to his feet and shot the young woman a grin. The young woman shot Jim a nervous smile back.

Turning back to the situation at hand, Jim was surprised to notice that Spock had left his side and was standing by what looked like a large control panel, his hand hovering over the machine. The mysterious Doctor was standing behind the Vulcan, watching as Spock slowly brought his hand down to rest on the panel. The reaction was instantaneous. Sock gasped and pulled his hand away from the panel as the machine lit up. The Doctor grinned as Spock turned towards him, his normal sonic expression falling into place.

"Fascinating." He said, glancing at the Doctor. "Logic depicts that you should not exist."

The Doctor stepped forward to stand next to Spock and lean against the control panel. He raised a single eyebrow in an unintentional mimic of Spock.

"Weren't you the one who said, 'If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'?" He asked.

Spock nodded.

"That is correct." He replied. "However, it still does not explain your presence here."

The Doctor nodded again, his grin fading once more. Without anymore words exchanged, he turned and ducked out of Jim's view. Without hesitation, Spock followed him. Jim glanced over at the door, wondering if he should call the security team in.

A hand touched his shoulder. Jim, no stranger to surprise attacks and already a little on edge, jumped and spun around, ready to fight. The young blond backed away, a look of surprise on her face, her hand still raised in what she had believed to be a comforting gesture. Jim relaxed slightly.

"Sorry." He muttered, his face red with embarrassment. He thrust his hand towards the woman. "Jim Kirk"

The woman looked him over before slowly giving him her hand.

"Rose." She muttered. "Rose Tyler"

"Pleasure" Jim replied, shaking Rose's hand.

No stranger to the more curious accents of planet earth, Jim still found himself staring as he tried to place Rose's accent. Rose didn't seem to notice, instead stepping towards the middle of the room, dragging Jim behind her.

As they reached the panel, they met Spock walking the other way. Jim quickly studied his second. Spocks shoulders were tense, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Jim, I feel that it would be advisable to send for medical assistance." He said in his straight forward, no nonsense manner.

Suddenly worried, Jim moved his head slightly to see around Spocks shoulders. The Doctor was kneeling on the floor, next to a still form.

Despite the different clothes, the different hair, even the new beard, the face was still recognisable.

For the first time in months, Jim glanced down at the face of his missing friend.

They had finally found Scotty, but judging from the look on the Doctors face, they might be too late.

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Sorry about stopping it there. Next chapter will have McCoy turning up, and Spock will tell all he knows about the Timelords (Of course Vulcans would know about them. Two equally logical races would clearly know about each other.) Plus, hopefully in next chapter the crew will get to meet the Editor.


End file.
